Shoe buffing machine



Nov. 28, 1961 J. R. FERRARI 3,010,130

SHOE BUFFING MACHINE Filed Aug. 24, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. JOHN R. FERRARI ATTORNEY Nov. 28, 1961 J. R. FERRARI 3,010,130

SHOE BUFFING MACHINE Filed Aug. 24, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN. R. FERRARI ATTORNEY Nov. 28, 1961 J. R. FERRARI 3,010,130

SHOE BUFFING MACHINE Filed Aug. 24. 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. JOHN R. FERRARI ATTORNEY United States Patent ce 3,010,130 SHOE BUFFING MACHINE John R. Ferrari, 14 Putman Ave., Berkeley Heights, NJ. Filed Aug. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 835,791 10 Claims. (Cl. 15-36) This invention relates to the buffing of shoes.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive bufiing machine which will enable the operator thereof to buff a large number of shoes in a relatively short period of time and have each shoe well polished and bufi'ed over practically all of its surfaces.

The various features of the shoe bulfing machine by which this principal object is achieved will be evident from the following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical elevation of the machine;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the machine;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view of the pivotal support for the top brush showing more details than appear in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of the left-hand end of the machine as viewed in FIGURE 1, showing the shoe transport chain and shoe carrier as they round the sprocket;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged plan view of the side brushes and their supports and driving mechanisms, with the shoe transport chain, shoe carriers and shoe carrier support omitted for clarity;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged View, partly in section, of the shoe transport chain and shoe carrier showing how the shoe carrier is secured to the shoe transport chain, and how the shoe is secured to the shoe carrier;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the parts shown in FIG- URE 6, without any shoe engaged in the shoe carrier;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged vertical elevation of a side brush, with parts in section, showing details of a construction by which the brushes are rapidly removable without tools and other brushes substituted.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the machine is upon a frame, generally designated 10, having four vertical legs 11 connected by upper cross bars 12 and lower cross bars 13. Positioned above the top of frame is a horizontal track 14 over which slide a series of shoe carriers 15 that are secured to an endless shoe transport chain 16. The chain 16 is driven by a motor 17 which rotates the chain sprocket 18 at the terminal end of track 14, the chain sprocket 19 at the starting end of track 14 being an idling sprocket. Between sprockets 19 and 18 the upper loop of the shoe transport chain 16 rides in the groove in track 14.

The shoe carrier 15 is a block of wood or other suitable material, rectangular shaped, fastened to the shoe transport chain 16 by means of screws 21 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) that screw into the underside of the carrier 15 near its mid-length, these screws 21 passing through holes in sidewardly extending lugs 22 integral with the two sides of one link in the chain. In this manner the chain 16 moves the shoe carrier 15 along the horizontal track 14 from left to right, as the machine is viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, so that the shoe 23 that is secured to the shoe carrier is buffed by the action of the two sidebrushes 24 and 25 and the top brush 26 as the shoe and shoe carrier are supported by and moved along the track 14. Then, at the terminal end of the track 14, the chain causes the shoe carrier 15 to leave the track, and, as the chain moves in its return loop back to sprocket 19, the chain supports the shoe and shoe carrier in the upside down position, as shown in FIG. 1. The shoe carrier readily moves around each sprocket, as shownin FIG. 4 for sprocket 19, be-

3,610,130 Patented Nov. 28, 1961 cause of the connection between the shoe carrier 15 and a single link of chain 16, and because the center of the track is cut away at each end, as indicated at 20 in FIGS. 2 and 4.

The shoe 23 is removably secured to the shoe carrier 15 by the mechanisms shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. These consist of heel clamp generally designated 27, and a toe clamp generally designated 37.

The heel clamp 27 consists of an aluminum block 28 having a rectangular aperture therein through which passes a pin 30 that is rectangular in cross section and is secured to the back of the shoe carrier (as by the screw 31), so that the pin '30 is positioned substantially vertical to the shoe carrier. The block 28 has a lip 32 that extends forwardly to engage the shoe just above the heel, the lip having its shoe-engaging edge 33 in the shape of a curve so as to fit against the back of the shoe for as great a portion of the surface of lip 32 as possible. The block 2-8 is continuously pulled toward the shoe carrier 15 by spring 34, one end of which is secured to the block 28 and the other end of which is secured to the shoe carrier, as by the ring 35 screwed into the end of the shoe carrier.

The toe clamp 37 consists of a springy metal strip 38 of substantially rectangular cross sectionhaving its inner portion 39 slidably mounted in a groove 40 in the toe end of the shoe carrier, the groove being parallel with the chain 16 and recessed from the shoe bearing face of the shoe carrier. A transverse pin 41 extending across the shoe carrier 15 retains the inner portion 39 of the strip- 38 within the groove 40. A spring 42 has one end fastened to the shoe carrier, as by the pin 43 at the-rear end of the groove 40. The other end of the spring 42 is fastened to the inner portion 39 of metal strip 38 and so urges the strip toward the heel of the shoe.

The outer portion 44 of metal strip 38 is bent at a small angle to the plane of the shoe carrier, as shown by FIG. 6, with the outer end of strip bent substantially vertically to the shoe carrier, as at 45, and terminating in a rearwardly directed lip 46 that engages the end of the shoe between the sole and the last.

It is evident that the heel clamp 27 and the toe clamp 37 are efiective to secure to the shoe carrier shoes of a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles, including in particular shoes with spikes such as are used by golfers.

In the operation of the machine as I have used it, I first clean the shoes to be polished by manually pressing each one individually against a rotating brush (not shown) mounted so that the axis of the brush is stationary. Then I apply manually to each shoe the proper color of polish in the proper amount over all the outer surfaces of the shoe (excepting, of course, the sole). Each shoe is then fastened on the shoe carrier starting after the carrier moves around the sprocket 19. From that time on the bufiing of the shoe is automatic, and when the polished shoe returns to its starting position, I remove it from the carrier and secure another (unbuffed) shoe in its place. With this machine I am thus able to polish up to fifty pairs of shoes in one hour.

The buffing. of the shoe is effected by the two rotating side brushes 24 and 25 and the rotating top brush 26, as previously stated. The construction, mounting and drive for these brushes are important. The three brushes are preferably of the stiff horsehair type. Each side brush 24 and 25 is mounted for rotation upon a vertical axis and the contour of the outer buffing edge of each side brush is preferably slightly off vertical (i.e. each brush has a greater diameter at the top than at the bottom). The top brush 26 is mounted for rotation upon a horizontal axis, and the contour of the outer bufiing edge of the top brush is preferably concave with respect to the axis of the rotation.

The mounting and drive for the side brushes 24 and 25 are shown in some detail in FIG. 5. A motor 51 fastened to the frame 10 (see FIG. 1) drives a gear box 52, by means of the belt drive 53. The gear box 52 has two output shafts 54 and 55 extending vertically upward from the top of the box, with the axes of these shafts spaced equi-distantly from the line of travel of the shoe transport chain 16 and on either side thereof. The speed of rotation of these output shafts 54 and 55 is the same, and their direction of rotation is opposite.

Output shaft 54 extends upwardly through a horizontal arm 56 that is pivotally mounted on the shaft so that it can swing horizontally through an arc of about thirty degrees, as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 5. The arm 56 extends from the output shaft 54 towards the starting end of track 14, and the outer end of the arm 56 is slidably supported upon the block 57 that in turn is supported upon the two long cross bars 12.

Rotatably supported at the outer end of arm 56 is a shaft 58 which extends vertically toa position above the track 14, where there is secured to shaft 58 the side brush 24. There is also secured to shaft 58, just above the arm 56, a pulley 59. This pulley 59 is belt driven from pulley 60 secured to the gear box output shaft 54, the drive belt 61 being kept taut by the take-up pulley 62 rotatably mounted at the end of arm 63 that is adjustably fastened to the arm 56 intermediate its ends.

In this manner the side brush 24 is rotated counterclockwise (as viewed in FIGS. 2 and while the brush is free to move outwardly (by the pivotal mounting of the horizontal arm 58) as the shoe passes the brush.

In a similar manner side brush 25 is rotated clockwise (as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 5) while the brush is free to move outwardly (bythe pivotal mounting of the horizontal arm 64) as the shoe passes the brush.

The outer ends of the two horizontal arms 56 and 64 are connected by a spring 65 which tends to urge the vided on the adjacent cross bar 12 of the frame so as to two arms toward each other, and thus causes the side brushes 24 to press against the respective sides of each shoe as it is moved by these brushes. When there is no shoe in position opposite the brushes, the horizontal arms 56 and 64 are urged together by spring 65 so that the brushes 24 and 25 touch one another, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, the action of spring 60 being insufficient to cause any significance intermeshingof the brushes when no shoe is present.

The mounting and drive for the top brush 26 are shown in some detail in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The top brush 26 is rotatably mounted at the upper end of an arm 66, which in turn is pivotally supported upon the horizontal output shaft 67 of the gear box. The shaft 68 to which the top brush 26 is secured extends through the arm 66 and extends beyond it on the other side of the arm, where a pulley 69 is secured to the shaft. This pulley is driven by a belt 70, which passes around a drive pulley 71 secured to the horizontal output shaft 67 of the gear box.

Arm 66 extends below shaft 67, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and on the lower extension 72 of this arm 61 is adjustably secured a counterweight 73 which in part counterbalances the weight of the top brush 26 and its associated parts. When no shoe is present beneath the top brush 26, the lower extension 72 of the arm 66 engages a stop pin 74 secured to the nearer vertical leg 11, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. In such position the top brush is in position to engage the top of the shoe as it is moved along the horizontal track 14 by the shoe transport chain 16.

The top brush is driven so that the bottom of the brush-the portion engaging. the top of the shoeis moved against the direction of travel of the shoe. This tends to prevent any binding action between the shoe and brush. As the shoe is moved along the track the top brush rides up over the shoe, the brush supporting arm 66 swinging toward the vertical as this occurs. The shoe engage the arm 66 just before it reaches a vertical position.

FIGURE 8 shows the details of side brush 24 and also the details of a mounting therefor on its shaft 58 which enables the brush to be rapidly removable without tools and a different brush substituted in its place. A similar mounting would be used for the other side brush 25 and for the top brush 26. This simplifies and expedites the use of the machine to buff a group of shoes, some of which are of one color (viz brown), and some are another color (viz black). For the best results, one set of brushes would be used with the one color, and a different set of brushes would be used to buff the shoes of the other color.

The shaft 58 has secured thereto a collar 81 which has a pin 82 projecting upwardly parallel with the shaft. The brush 24 consists of a sleeve 83 that fits around the shaft 58. The lower end of the sleeve is recessed to fit over pin 82, so that in this manner the shaft drives the sleeve 83.

Fitted over sleeve 83 are the wooden wheels 84 and 85 of two brush units 86 and 87, respectively, the inner ends of the hairs of the brushes being appropriately secured to the wheels. The exterior surfaces of the wheels are recessed to receive metal rings 88 and 89, which also fit over sleeve 83. The rings are secured to the wheels by screws 90 and 91, respectively. Threaded radially through the rings are the set screws 92 and 93, respectively, that engage the outer cylindrical surface of sleeve 83. Hence, when the brush units 86 and 87 are secured to the sleeve 83 by screwing dOWn on these set screws, the two brush units and sleeve become in effect an integral brush 24 driven by shaft 58 through the pin 82.

The brush 24 is secured in place by a spring 94 positioned at the top of the brush. One end of this spring is secured to the sleeve 83 so as to urge the center portion of the spring against the shaft 58 and into a groove formed around the adjacent cylindrical surface of the shaft. The other end of the spring has a thumb rest 95.

By this construction pressure on the thumb rest 95 displaces the spring 94 sufficiently to permit the brush 24 to be raised upwardly and so removed from the shaft 58. Another brush may then be readily substituted. This is advantageous when the color of the shoes being buffed changes, as from black to brown, so that the pigmentation picked up by the brushes is not transferred to shoes of another color.

From the foregoing description, the operation of the machine is believed evident. A shoe to which polish has been applied is fastened to each shoe carrier 15 as the latter rounds the idling sprocket 19 and starts moving along the track 14. From here on the bufiing of the shoe is effected automatically. The shoe is slowly moved along the track and as it passes the rotating side brushes 24 and 25, they swing apart to buff all the side surfaces of the shoe and permit the shoe to pass on. Also, as the shoe passes under the rotating top brush 26, it buffs all the top surfaces of the shoe and permits it to pass on. The buffed shoes are brought back to their starting position by the return loop of the shoe transport chain 16, each shoe being held firmly in its shoe carrier 15 even when upside down while travelling the return loop. When the bufied shoe is returned to its starting position, the shoe is removed from the carrier and another, unbuifed shoe fastened in the carrier. The buffed shoe is completely buffed on all surfaces except at the toe and heel where it was secured in the shoe carrier, and these small areas can readily and quickly be buffed by hand by engaging these surfaces against a rotating brush independent from those of this machine.

What is claimed is:

1. In a shoe bufling machine, the combination of: (a) a plurality of shoe carriers, each carrier having means for securing the toe and heel of the associated shoe to the shoe carrier: (17) an endless chain having one portion thereof, between two sprockets, substantially horizontal; means for driving said chain at a relatively slow speed; (d) means fastening the undersides of said shoe carriers to the links of said chain at spaced intervals along said chain, each carrier being fastened to a single pair of links of the chain so that the carrier is able to pass around the chain sprockets with the chain, all the shoe carriers being oriented so that, as the chain passes over said horizontal portion, the toe ends of the shoes are leading; (e) means, including horizontal rails at either side of said horizontal portion of the chain, for supporting said shoe carriers substantially horizontally while the associated portion of said chain is travelling in said horizontal portion of the chain; (7) two shafts positioned with their axes vertical and located at either side of the path of travel of the shoe carriers when they are supported on said rails; (g) two generally cylindrical side bufiing brushes mounted respectively on said shafts so that the axes of said brushes coincide with the axes of the respective shafts and so that the brushes are rotatable about their respective axes; (It) means supporting said shafts and side bufi'ing brushes with their axes vertical while providing for movement of said brushes substantially horizontally toward and away from the shoes in planes above the plane of the shoe carriers when the shoe carriers are supported on said horizontal rails, said shaft and brush supporting means including resilient means normally urging said brushes toward each other and thus against the sides of the shoes supported in the shoe carriers as the chain moves the shoe carriers past the side bufiing brushes; and (i) drive means rotating said side bufling brushes in opposite directions of rotation, with the shoe contacting surfaces of the brushes moving in the direction against the direction of movement of the shoes imparted by the endless chain.

2. A shoe bufiing machine as set forth in claim 1 in which there is also: (j) A generally cylindrical top buffing brush; (k) a shaft on which said top buffing brush is rotatably mounted; (1) means supporting said top buffing brush shaft horizontally and movably in planes above the tops of the shoes when the associated shoe carriers are on said horizontal rails, said shaft supporting means positioning and maintaining said top bufiing rush that is on said shaft (1) in alignment with said shoes as said brush moves vertically toward and away from said shoes and (2) displaced along the path of travel of said shoes from the side bufing brushes so that the top buffing brush does not engage the Side butfing brushes, said shaft supporting and positioning means also normally urging said top butting brush downwardly against the tops of the shoes, and also including means for limiting the downward movement of said top bufiing brush to prevent the brush from engaging the shoe carriers; and (m) drive means for said top butting brush rotating said brush in the direction in which the shoe contacting surfaces of the brush move in the direction against the direction of movement of the shoes imparted by the endless chain.

3. A shoe bufiing machine as set forth in claim 1 supported on a stationary frame and in which the shaft and side buffing brush supporting means includes (1) two horizontal arms each pivotally secured at one end to said frame to swing in a small are about a vertical axis and each having a side buifing brush and its vertical shaft mounted at the other end of said arm, said horizontal arms being positioned below said rails with the pivots for said arms on opposite sides of the vertical plane of travel of said chain and equidistant therefrom; and (2) means engaging the non-pivoted ends of said arms for supporting them throughout their arcs of movement and thereby supporting said side buflin-g brushes and their shafts as said brushes move toward and away from each other as the shoes pass in between said brushes.

4. A shoe butting machine as set forth in claim 3 in which (1) the pivot for each horizontal arm is spaced from the vertical plane of travel of said chain a distance less than the radius of the side butling brush mounted on the non-pivoted end of the arm, so that the normal position of said arms, when no shoe is positioned between said brushes, is at a small angle with the vertical plane of travel of the chain, and in which (2) said pivots are positioned along the path of travel of said chain so that the shoes engage said bufling brushes before the shoes pass above said pivots.

5. A shoe buffing machine as set forth in claim 4 in which the drive means rotating said side bufling brushes includes (1) a driven pulley on the vertical shaft at the non-pivoted end of each horizontal arm; (2) a driving pulley positioned co-axially with the pivot of each horizontal arm; (3) motor means driving said driving pulleys in opposite directions and (4) a drive belt connecting each driving pulley with the driving pulley mounted on the associated arm, whereby the drive for the side bufling brushes is simple and effective throughout the arcs of motion of the horizontal arms.

6. A shoe'bufiing machine as set forth in claim 5 in which (1) the pivots are the vertical output shafts of a motor-driven gear box positioned just below the pivoted ends of said horizontal arms; (2) the driving pulleys are secured to said vertical output shafts of said gear box just above the tops of said horizontal arms, and just below the horizontal plane of the bottom of said horizontal rails, and (3) the driven pulleys are positioned on said side bufiing brush shafts just above the tops of said horizontal arms and just below the horizontal plane of the bottom of said horizontal rails, whereby the axial lengths of the side bufiing brush shafts between the tops of the driven pulleys and the bottoms of the brushes are equal and relatively short.

7. A shoe buffing machine as set forth in claim 1 in which (1) the means for supporting the shoe carriers substantially horizontally includes a channel in which the endless chain is positioned while the shoe carriers travel on said horizontal rails, said channel thereby preventing lateral motion of said chain and thus of the shoe carriers, and (2) the means fastening the undersides of the shoe carriers to the chain are positioned substantially at the mid-lengths of the carriers, thereby reducing side sway of the shoe carriers and shoes to the minimum as the side bufiing brushes engage, buff and disengage from the shoes.

8. A shoe bufiing machine as set forth in claim 2, in which 1) the top buffing brush supporting means is a vertical arm pivoted about a horizontal axis positioned below the horizontal rails, said vertical arm extending upwardly outside of the rails to positions above the rails and above the shoes on the shoe carriers, with the brush rotatably supported on the upper end of said vertical arm and positioned to extend laterally from the arm over the shoes, the length of the vertical arm being suflicient so that when the arm is near a vertical position the top bufiing brush clears the top of the shoe on the shoe carrier and the upwardly projecting portion of any shoe tree in the shoe as the shoe passes under the brush, said vertical arm having a counterweight on its end below its pivot that nearly balances the arm, so that the vertical arm tends to swing downward to bring the top bufling brush into engagement with the shoes, the downward movement of said arm being limited by said downward limiting means; and in which (2) a stop pin engages said vertical arm short of but near its vertical position, so as to limit its vertical motion to a position from which it readily falls back towards its shoe engaging position so as to brush the next shoe in sequence.

9. In a shoe buffing machine, the combination of: (a) a. plurality of shoe carriers, each carrier having means for securing the toe and heel of the associated shoe to the shoe carrier; (b) a pair of horizontal rails for supporting said shoe carriers and along which the carriers travel; a pair of spaced horizontal arms positioned just below said rails and pivotally secured at one end to a stationary member of the machine so that each arm swings in a small are about a vertical axis, the pivots being on opposite sides of and equidistant from the vertical plane passing through the longitudinal center axis of said shoes when on said carriers; (d) a side bufiing brush rotatably mounted upon the outer end of each horizontal arm with its axis vertical and with the brush positioned above the arm to engage the shoes as the shoe carriers move on said rails; (e) means nonrn-ally urging said side bufiing brushes toward each other and thus against each shoe when the shoe is between the brushes, but insumcient to cause the brushes to intermesh significantly when no shoe is between the brushes; means rotating said side buffing brushes in opposite directions; and (g) means for moving said shoe carriers along said rails in spaced relationship so that the side buifing brushes move toward each other to brush the back surfaces of a shoe before the next shoe engages the brushes.

10. A shoe buiiing machine as set forth in claim 9, in which there is also: (It) a vertical arm pivoted about a horizontal axis positioned below the horizontal rails, said vertical arm extending upwardly outside of the rails to positions above the rails and above the shoes on the shoe carriers; (i) a top buffing brush rotatably supported on the upper end of said vertical arm and positioned to extend laterally from the arm over the shoes; (j) drive means rotating said top bufiing brush so that the underside of the brush moves in the direction opposite to the direction of movement of the shoes along the rails; (k) means substantially but not completely counterbalancing the weight of the vertical arm and the parts mounted thereon above the vertical arm pivot, so that there remains a tendency for the vertical arm to swing downward to bring the top buffing brush into engagement with the shoes; (I) and stop means limiting the movement of the vertical arm so that the top bu'liing brush does not engage the shoe carriers when the arm is in its lowest position, and so that the vertical arm is short of being vertical when in its highest position, the length of said vertical arm being sufiicient to enable the top buffing brush to clear the top of the shoe on the shoe carrier and the upwardly projecting portion of any shoe tree in the shoe as the shoe passes under the top buifing brush, and the axis of the pivot for said vertical arm being displaced along the path of travel of the shoes so that the top buthng brush, when in its lowest position, does not engage the side buffing brushes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 715,118 Muller Dec. 2, 1902 900,448 Taliaferro Oct. 6, 1908 1,063,416 Cook June 3, 1913 1,517,141 Adams Nov. 25, 1924 1,830,114 Kinney Nov. 3, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,985 Great Britain Sept. 9, 1899 

